We find no uncluttered answers on Tom Levin’s sumptuous, vaguely fatalistic Tooth and Claw. In fact, oftentimes the questions themselves for this former New Music Weekly Awards AC male artist of the year are almost unbearable. You May Also Like: No related posts.
The jazz world suffered a significant loss Monday with the passing of violinist Billy Bang. Reportedly afflicted with lung cancer, Bang, born William Vincent Walker, was 63 years old. Given his stage name from friends as a youth, a name taken from a cartoon character, Bang’s life was anything butRead More
Going from unknown two years ago to co-leading a duet record with Matthew Shipp is a meteoric rise in the avant jazz world, much less any world, but that’s just what alto saxophonist has accomplished in this short time frame. You May Also Like: Matthew Shipp – Zero (2018) MatthewRead More
by Tom Johnson Perhaps it was a reaction to claims by fans and detractors alike that Peter Gabriel’s previous live offering, Secret World Live, was really more “live” than live You May Also Like: When Peter Gabriel Suddenly Decided to Open Up on ‘Us’
by Fred Phillips When Volbeat’s “Sad Man’s Tongue” comes blaring out of my speakers on a shuffle, I’m always happy, and I always hit repeat — usually a dozen times or so, at least. And I always think about how I nearly missed such a great song. You May AlsoRead More
Paul Simon’s new record, his first since 2006’s dense Brian Eno-collaboration Surprise, is a career-spanning, sometimes duskily ruminative, quirk-splashed triumph — simultaneously bold in its constructions and timeless in its themes. You May Also Like: How ‘Paul Simon’ Set the Template for a Career of Dizzying Musical Exploration
by Tom Johnson Tortoise alum Rob Mazurek had a big concept behind this project. As we all know, sometimes big concepts pay off, sometimes they simply lead to big letdowns. You May Also Like: Rob Mazurek & Exploding Star Orchestra – ‘Lightning Dreamers’ (2023) Rob Mazurek – Chants And CornersRead More
by Tom Johnson Alien was once the only Alien film I had not seen in the theater. Yes, I actually paid (and dragged my wife along) to see the unfortunate Alien Resurrection. What a stupid concept: Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) having flung herself into flaming, molten metal at the end ofRead More
Here’s an early indication that Steely Dan wasn’t going to dwell on romantic themes in their lyrics.
by Mark Saleski Volume 8 in the Smithsonian Folkways series on the music of Central Asia paired the Kronos Quartent with Afghan rubâb virtuoso Homayun Sakhi and Azerbaijani father-daughter singing duo Alim and Fargana Qasimov. You May Also Like: The Lickerish Quartet, “Snollygoster Goon,” from ‘Threesome Vol. 2’ (2020): SomethingRead More
